1. The Field of the Invention
This invention relates to apparatus, systems, and methods for fabricating panels from thermoplastic materials. More particularly, the present invention relates to forming decorative resin panels from elongated thermoplastic materials.
2. Background and Relevant Art
Conventional recycling mechanisms typically involve recovering post-consumer waste products, extracting raw material from the recovered products, and using the extracted material to create new products. By way of illustration, manufacturers often use a polymer raw material, such as high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which has been extracted from post-consumer waste containers (e.g., milk jugs and detergent bottles) to create new, similar containers. Due to the eventual breakdown of the raw material caused by repeated processing, however, manufacturers often use only a small portion (e.g., thirty percent) of post-consumer waste in the production of new products to maintain integrity of the desired finished good. Thus, while conventional recycling mechanisms reduce waste, they leave room for greater efficiency.
It is therefore desirable to recycle post-consumer waste, such as HDPE and similar thermoplastics, in a manner that produces a higher-value product having a long service life, and that can use up to one hundred percent post-consumer material. One application of post-consumer waste that meets these desires is the fabrication of panels as building materials, usable for structural and/or aesthetic purposes, such as doors, walls, floors, tables, etc. Production of panels with post-consumer thermoplastics, such as HDPE, conventionally involves the use of raw post-consumer material in the form of flakes or pellets having various colors, shapes, and sizes. When melted with heat and pressure such flakes and pellets form panels with random patterns of different colored flakes within the panel.
When employing the foregoing techniques it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to produce panels having linear, repeating, and reproducible patterns. Furthermore, the heating and pressing process can lead to smearing of various colors on the surface of the panel. In some instances, the manufacturer can remove an outer layer of the panel and/or re-press the panel to apply texture to clear smeared elements from the panel. Such modifications to the panel, however, can be time-consuming and/or cost prohibitive. Depending on the particular application, smearing and/or random flake and color patterns may be undesirable to the builder or architect. Similar problems can arise when forming panels from virgin resin materials.
Conventional petroleum-derived polymer products are often sent to a landfill due, at least in part, to the fact that products are not previously easily incorporated into existing recycling streams. This is a particular problem for the environment, as resin materials do not typically break down or degrade for significant time durations. Not only do resin materials degrade at poor rates, but the source of some common resins (i.e., fossil-based hydrocarbons, such as petroleum), is generally thought to be non-replenishing, and continually under pressure of exhaustion and market instability. Because material manufacturers typically derive thermoplastic materials from petrochemicals, supply of which may be limited, decrease in supply and/or increase in prices of petrochemicals can lead to prices increases for thermoplastic materials.
Accordingly, there are a number of disadvantages in incorporating thermoplastic resin materials into new building products that can be addressed.